By Tatenda Chimbwanda
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe— Over 792 million individuals in Africa deal with a Mental Health (MH) conditions. Like numerous African nations, Zimbabwe has insufficient MH professionals to support the population. The Government of Zimbabwe acknowledges MH as a major public health and advancement issue. MH is acknowledged as a top priority in the most current National Health Strategy for Zimbabwe (2021-2025), and the present Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC) MH Strategic Plan. There’s is still a considerable disparity in the number of individuals with MH conditions who require treatment and those who get this treatment resulting in high MH treatment spaces.
To close the MH treatment, space the MoHCC is carrying out the FRIENDZ program under Zimbabwe Special Initiative for MH with assistance from Friendship Bench (FB), UNICEF, WHO and ZimTTECH. The FRIENDZ program intends to scale up evaluation and management of concern psychological, neurological and drug abuse usage conditions from neighborhood to, main and tertiary healthcare level in Zimbabwe.
MoHCC, MH Department, Deputy Acting Director, Dr Patience Mavunganidze, highlighted on the value of FRIENDZ program which will enhance the neighborhood and MOHCC Primary Health Care (PHC) MH system in Zimbabwe. “FRIENDZ will likewise enhance recommendation paths from the neighborhood level, through PHC and secondary and tertiary levels and pull back, in addition to guarantee assistance guidance from greater to lower levels of care, developing a strengthened MH system of care, available to the population,” included Dr Mavunga